Aircraft manufacture



Aug. 21, 194.5. c. E. soRENsl-:N Erm 2,383,225 AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURE Filed Oct. 24, 1942 l 3 Sheets-Sheet l C. E. soRq-:NsENErAL 2,383,225

AIFRCRAFT MANUFACTURE Filed oct. 24, 1942 Aug.; 21, `1945.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 m CR m w m m C, E. SORENSEN El' AL AIRCRAFT yMAMJFAGTURE Aug-21, 1945-. 2,383,225

Filed Oct. 24, 1942 SVSheets-Sheet 3 C.YE.Sarensen R.M.Snih INVENTQR.

Patented Aug. 21, `1945 1ST-eras lA-moRAFirMANUEAo-TRE CharlesE Sorensen,` Detroit, and Roscoe `M Anglican@ october 24, 1942, `serialNp.itigeng'sa] 'lo u fziclsims. (o1. .2a-14's) This ,inventionfrelates to the ,art of `aircraft construction and, `more particularly, to-.a .method and 4an!apparatusfor,the continuous :assembly of aircraft. y l

While the line assembly .-method rhas .been used with singular success in the automotivevindustry and -in` `many other Amanufacturing operations, .iti

is only recently` that ,attempts .have `lieemmadeto u adopt it `.for 4use :in aircraft. This has been'particularly difcult because .fof the -conr1plexity` of .the assemblyvprocedureiand thesize 1ofthe objects to i be assembled; Therefore, when attempts were made itowadapt prior eonventionalmethodsof line assembly to aircraft construction, tit was lfound flow `and yet. in -whichadequate ,provision `is made for the ,prompt ,and-continuous distribution `of the 4various components. `.Yet .another fobject of the invention is to prtnliie `an apparatus particuj larly suited `to .the .Apracticedof this method.

distinction to lthe conventionalassenb1y.practice, which ,is basically linear.I in that Vit entails ithe addition of minor component faftencomponent to a foundation.structurejfas 'it progresses, the presentlmethod ismultidimens'ional in .thatit unites a nu'mberfof linear operations, resulting in major subasssemblies which are thereafter .matedinto maior .assemblies and .which are Yin turn concentrated-Imm .these fprior lines I forindependent rather than cumulative .iinal operations.`

Withthese and ,otherobjec'tsin view., `this inl ventioii v consists 4in the arrangement, construction and combination .of lthe various `steps of 4the improved n rnethlocil,` as described in the specification, claimed 1in thelclaims, and Iillustrated `i-nthe acconupanying drawings, .inwhichi re `lis a .dfagrammatic view o'f an assembl plant` constructed ,accordin .to lthis invention.

` u Fig. 2lisfa .perspective view` of Jthe junction of` u the major :assembly conveyor, distributing conveyor and the wingse'ction conveyors, as viewed` from the position 2-.2 offFigle 1.

Figure `Bris a perspective view of the end of the wing section conveyor and the transfer conveyor taken from the position Aindicated by the line 3--3 of Figure 1. y

Referring now to the drawings, the character I indicates the major assembly lines which in this instanceare four in number and are construoted .in `two pairs witha major assembly conveyor ,II intermediate each such pair. These conveyors] I .intersect a distributing conveyor I2 at the turntables` I3. Paralleling"each of ithe maior assembly conveyors I I 'are the ,tvvo lines -oi Wing section-conveyorsfl 4 .and these areextended in .the rightfhand-linelsection, :asat I5, `.as a :means of `bringing up `the center `wing sections .I6 from` their subassemblystation. vThis is shown'` in detail in Figure 2.

Vlldjacent to theleftmajor assembly ,line III .and 'behind the distributing `conveyor `I2 .are maintainedstocks fof other principalisubassembly `com.-

. ponente, suchas the rear fuselage section I 1, the

`nose fuselage section .land the outer wing .sec

tionlg,I .Aprimary conveyor l2`| serves thissltock and-facilitates its'ftransportzand .delivery to the distributing conveyor I2. Preferablythe'.con

veyors I I A.and I2 are located.abovetheiiooreleva-` tion of the .plant .to permit .the transfer .of lthe `components from `them to the respective Vmajor assembly stations. `UIlderne'ath the distributing conveyor :Irisa similar (floor level distributing conveyor {notshown which serves to `.transport the center Wingsections-"IG i. from ,the right sidelines.

I 5to the .wing section conveyors .I`4 -of the major assembly line .I0 on ,the left. .i n n v At the .upper end .of .the `major.assen'iblyline is a transverse transfer conveyor-22substantially at floor .level running across `at least each ,pair of majorassembly. lines, and `which may be .extended acrossall four, by means of which the completed majorassemblies may be lremoved from these lines and transferredto the .final assembly con- "Q veyor .23., after which the planes progress linearly until the assembly .operations are .completed` as shown in Figure` 3. The wing section conveyors engage theends `of .the wing `sections and. move them and the other componentsas theyareadded to '.it .mediate .the oor level and .the assembly` con-veyorseII.` u u y .It .is believed thedrawings make .clear the method .of assembly ,in thatlthe center Wing sec" tions .I6 .are utilized .as the basis for vthe major assembly itself. These .are 4fabricated at primary l Wingsubassembly stations .and .are "brought from them on-thezextension conveyor I5 directly to the wingsection conveyors I4 of `the right bankand bythe lower distributing conveyor to `those of the left-,bank bymeans; of which theyare independently transported sembly stations.

The other .major subassembly .components` have likewise been fabricated .previously at their 're- `.spective subassembly stations and these, which include the bomb bay, fuselage nose section.

. fuselage aftllsectiom and 'outer wing, sections,`

progress by conveying 'mechanisms not shown from these'fabricating subassembly stations to the position shown in the lower part of the .-throughfall of themajor asly. Thus, the Wing sections I6 are rst placed on several wing section conveyors `hl and at station A in each line the bombvbay and top center fuselage section 24 is attached to the wing Thereafter, the wings progress independently to station B, at which the nose fuselage section I8v is mated with the wing and its structure. This progresses to station C, at which the aft 'fuselage `section is added.4 It will be understood that these subassembly'components` are `being continuously transported `,on the vdistributing and major assembly conveyors, as indicated at 25, to the various majorpassembly stations.

Thereafter, the .assembled fuselage and center wing section move to 'station..D, at which the.

engines and associated- 'cowling 20 and the usual landing gear are added. This completes the assembly of the major` portions vand the plane is then released fromthe. wing section c onveyors I4 and rests uponthelanding gear andis thus deposited on the, transverse conveyor 22 by means of which it is transported to one of the final assembly conveyors 23. It will be understood that the planesare taken from the major assembly lines alternately or as they reach completion thereon and transferred to the nal assembly line 23,. s

On the nal assemblylin'e, the tail empennage 26 is added at station E andthe other parts, such as the nose 21, propellers 28, outer wing sections I9, wing tips `29, leading edges 30, trailing edge assembly 3|, are added at subsequent stations which are not detailed. After this, the comthe minor equipment and Afurnishings which are pieted 'piane s2 is readyutvo be` submitted'to the 40 not conveniently' installed on the ,componentsv prior to `major `assembly are placed.

`One of the principal advantages of this method v is the economy of manufacturing space whichis attained by interleaving the planes from at least two major assembly lines to a single final assem- .bly line which permits a concentration of working space. Ano-ther result is that the planes can be automatically spaced throughoutv the major assembly line to requireprecisely the amount of l room necessary and are not held .to a fixed dis. tance, as would .be necessary if a' continuous spaced line were used. l Still another advantage is that, depending upon the progress .of work, the major assembly `can vbe shifted to either of the final conveyor linesif that,l be desired and, in' the event that there is a delay in one of the lines, it may be made good'from the other. In the present instance, as shown in detail A in Figures 2 and 3, the work is ,brought to a full` stop at each While only the major subassembly components, such as the center wing sections,they `outer wing sections, the engines, the .fore and aft fuselage sections, etc., are shown, it will be evident that y provision is also afforded for distribution of such vminorportions as the Wing tips, leading edges,

propellers, noses, tail empennages and all of the othercomponents that go to make the finished plane. While adeflnite number of stations have been shown and certain operations performed at each, it.Wil1` be understood that this depends upon' the division of the individual type plane into its components and it might be varied andk increased or diminished as the complexity of the particular structure required. v While the use'ofjwingjsection conveyors is particularly advantageous'j in, the assembly 'fof high wing planessuch as arshovvn 'here'in'that sufficient clearanceis afforded between their/jing.v

and 'flue-mating fixtures, it may be used aswell With medium or lowlwing craft. '1t has the rfurther advantage thatahy stresses encountered in'V the assemblyare of the same natureas vwill'be impressed upon thepla'ne in flight'. fNo'other' suspension method achieves this.

of planes havingfwing spreads of lupwards of 100 feet. But it likewisepermits the use of factories operations witha mini'inur of 'structuralchange Some changesY may be'rnade' infthearrang'e:

as may reasonably V'be includedin `the scope thereof. The invention claimed `is: g

1 'The method' fabricating aircraft'hayihg' large wing spreadfroinr a plurality, of initially fabricated major subassembly components thereof, one of said majonsubassembly components` comprising a wing unit su b as`serrlbly` composed of I centrally joined wing sections, andf certain other of said components comprising fuselage subassemblies,said metlflodcomprising, solely supe` porting said wing unitV by the. tips of said wings,

leaving the remaining-portionsof ,the unit unsupported, and Ywho@ said wing vunit is, so supported, `assemblingwsaid fuselage sections with the. central portion of said wing unit, and thereafter assembling other major subassembly com# ponents thereof..

2. The method fabricated major subassemblyv components there* of, one of said major V sulzlassembly compilinents comprising a wingunitsubassembly composedof tw0.centrally joined wing' sections, i, and certain other of said` components comprising fuselage subassernblies, saidmethoducomprising solely supporting said wing unit'v at points' adjacent the outer end of 4.each of said wing sections, leavingV v the remainderof the'funit unsupported,'and While of stations A, B, C,Aand,D;,is engaged in suitable mating fixtures 33 which correlate the assembly with vthe component to be added at that station; and the particular assembly is-completed before the Work is moved tothe neXt station.

said wing unit is sosupported,.assembling said fuselage sections with the, central portion of -said y wing unit, and4V thereafter. assembling thereto other major subasseinbly'components thereof.,

. E, SORENSEN.

RQSCQE ,M SMITLL Similarly: while it is here shown is applied to the assembly y of fabricating aircraftV having large wing spreadmfromjaplurality' of initiallyv 

